Onsens in Japan

The "Onsen" (hot water) symbol.


"Can you nude?" My kyoto-sensei (vice principal) was asking me. "Uh, excuse me? What?" Turns out I heard him right - he was inviting me to an onsen (hot spring bath) and was wondering if, as a foreigner, I had any reservations about getting naked in front of not only co-workers, but also total strangers.

I'd been to onsens before and my kyoto is a cool guy - not only the coolest guy I've met in Japan, but probably one of the coolest people I've ever met - so I was in. Since that first visit, I've probably gone to various onsens with him, about 20 or 30 times in total. When I first met him, he told me he hoped I would "work hard and play hard". Which is pretty cool. As he likes cool jazz, the ride out there is always an experience in itself. He has visited Canada in the past and doesn't mind speaking English. So we ride out in the countryside, accompanied by Sinatra, the Third Man theme, or Chris Botti, chatting about stuff small and big in a combination of bad English and bad Japanese. I wasn't a big fan of mellow music before (obsessively preferring unique or extreme music rather than background music), but have grown to appreciate it as it totally meshes with the drive through the countryside and the soothing spa.

Sometimes we stop by a Family Mart convenience store and grab a spicy chicken. Once, standing in the parking lot chomping on the thing, he stared off into the distance and said how great it was to be able to do this. "Do what?" I, understandably, asked. The social situation of a vice-principal is such that, he told me, he could never stand and eat outside in this way in our city as someone might see him and, "That is not how a kyoto-sensei should act." (I was reminded of another teacher I knew who showed me of a picture of himself when he went to America on a teacher exchange program a few years prior. He had a beard and it really suited him - though beards usually suck. "Why don't you still have it?" I asked. Apparently, he wore it back here for a month or so, then parents wrote a letter to the board of ed, who complained to his boss, who complained to him. The beard was a goner). So, even the trip is a nice escape from the pressures of daily life.

Actually, his initial question was a valid one. Onsens are pretty much a Japan-only phenomenon and even have a bit of a negative rep among foreigners here. "Not here for the green tea and onsens" is the rallying cry of those guys - and it is always guys - who feel they have to choose between enjoying "traditional Japanese culture" and picking up girls, as if it's a one-or-the-other situation. Actually, onsens are pretty far from a demanding (and, some *cough* might say, boring) ritual like the tea ceremony or a temple visit : you simply take your clothes off, get in the water, and relax. You can chat if you want or not. The only pressure is the water pressure. Oh, man.



While you are indeed naked with other people, mixed-gender onsens are now few and far between. They had 'em here up until the American Occupation, until the Yanks decided, "Nudity?" There must be sex involved! Cancel it!". Damn Americans, I thought, until my kyoto asked me why they don't have onsens in Canada. "Is it because people can't be nude near each other?" He asked. Yeah, that's probably it, I thought. I also was forced to explain that the closest we had to onsens were the gay bathhouses in Toronto. Not the kind of thing you want to explain in limited Japanese, in a sauna surrounded by nude Japanese dudes.

Finally, there are some cultural differences. You don't just hop in the water. There's showers and cleaning areas with soap and shampoo where you scrub yourself clean before getting in the water. If you do simply hop in, you're making the water dirty (the family bath at home works the same way - same family, same water). This being said, I have seen people get in without washing first. Which pisses me off, as there's a perception that only foreigners do this. This is so true that there was a landmark case here by Japan's pretty-much lone foreigner's rights crusader, Arudo Debito (formerly David Aldwinkle. Though he had given up his U.S. citizenship and became a Japanese citizen, he was still refused entrance to a "Japanese only" onsen. In an unprecedented move here, he sued. And won. Anyway, one of the claims of that onsen's managers was that foreigners wouldn't know to act correctly in an onsen. As I am usually (actually, always, now that I think of it) the only "foreigner" in the onsen when we go, I can't help but be conscious of this fact. As you soap and scrub before getting in, you feel the eyes on ya.


So, I was again kinda pissed when I saw a (Japanese) guy with a tattoo there. Tattoo's are verboten because they are pretty much Yakuza (Japanese mafia) territory - they haven't caught on with folks here like they have back home. If you are found to have one, they can throw you out. He was a nice guy - chatted with him a while, but it happened to be on the same day - same time actually - that another (Japanese) guy was puking his guts out from the next whirlpool - not into the water, but it was still disgusting. I think it was New Year's Day. If it had been me in either of these situations, I am sure it would have confirmed a cultural stereotype or two.

Anyway, here's the breakdown of the procedure: drop your shoes off at a locker outside. Take the locker key to the counter. Pay and get another locker key. Pass through a curtain, then there's two doors with curtains, one marked with the "man" symbol and the other "women". These "sides" of the onsen rotate weekly, so even if you go to the same onsen a week later, you might be on a different side from the previous week. After the mandatory joking about going through the opposite sexes curtain, go in. Take your stuff off and put it in the locker. You should have either brought or been given a small hand towel (tenegui) with which to cover the magic. Boldly leave the locker area and enter the onsen. These come in various shapes and sizes. Usually, there's a variety of whirlpools, herb baths, sauna's, salt saunas, back massager tubs, showers, etc Before you get in, sit on the small stool and wash with the provided shampoo and soap. After that, hop in! Hey, don't let the towel enter the water - just leave it on the side, or you can wear it on your head like some of the older gentlemen there. My kyoto loves the sauna, and I've also grown to appreciate it, though I really dig the herb bath. However, every time I enter the latter I get a serious craving for pizza due to the oregano smell... Oh, if you use the sauna, shower the sweat off before getting in the other baths.



I really wish I could bring the camera in to take pics for you. No, not of the old naked guys, but of the cool surroundings. It really is designed to be comfortable. One I've been to is built by a huge lake (structurally set up so no-one can see your nudeness). There's ducks, a stone waterfall, cool plants and a stone staircase by the outdoor section. You can hear the people (women/men) from the opposite side over the wall. Some have TV's or classical music in the sauna (and some even have TV's in the main room). I went to one place in Osaka with my host family that was packed - five floors of baths, massage chairs, TV's, eating, drinking, or smoking rooms....tons of stuff.
We ate, had a beer or two, slept, then went back in. It's surprising how hungry and sleepy you get from just relaxing.. There's also sentos, mountain hot springs.

Actually, it's pretty inspiring too. There's nothing to do but relax and think, so I've had some pretty good ideas there. Unfortunately, I've never had a place to put a pen and paper (comfortably), so they're lost in the ether. Still, once you come out you're fired up and ready to go. Some people have been here for years and still not gone, but if you visit, check it out. It's a cool concept.


[NOTE: none of these photos are mine. I had a few, but they were lost via the HD crash. These photos come to you courtesy Google Images.}